Herbert w



H. W. HOOVER.

BRUSH DRIVING DEVICE FOR SUCTION CLEANERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. I917.

1,309,093. Patented July 8, 1919.

a citizen of the United States sTAT n s PATENT omucn HERBERT W. HOOVER, OF NEW BERLIN, OHIO, .ASSIG-NOR TO THE HOOVER SUCTION SWEEPER COMPANY, OF NEW BERLIN, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

- BRUSH-DRIVING DEVICE FOR SUCTION-CLEANERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1917. Serial No. 173,448.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT W. HOOVER, residing at New Berlin,'in the State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brush-Driving Devices for Suction- Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in brush driving devices for suction cleaners and has for one object to provide a new and improved apparatus for driving the brush of a suction cleaner from the motor which drives the suction fan. Another object is to provide a new and improved device for reducing the speed of the brush so that a light weight high speed motor may be used without unduly increasing the speed of the brush and without making the apparatus so bulky and clums as to be unsatisfactory in use. Other 0 jects will appear from time to time in the specification. My

'invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 shows a bottom plan view with parts removed;-

Fig. 2 shows a section along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 33 of Fig. 1 with parts omitted.

. Like arts are indicated by like characters in all t e figures.

A is a suction nozzle; A a suction chamber communicatin with the nozzle and discharging into a an chamber A all being contained within an integral cast housing upon which is mounted a motor housin A containing a motor not here shown. his

motor drives the fan A which discharges.

dust-ladenv air through a passage A into a dust receptacle not here illustrated.

The motor shaft B which carries the fan A terminates in conical friction driving member B which engages the conical driving wheel B. This conical driving wheel B is mounted upon aplate 13* on a sleeve B", the sleeve B being slidably mounted and held against rotation about the shaft B. B is a pin passing through the shaft B engaging a slot B in'the sleeve. This pin holds the sleeve against rotation with respect to the slot. It also furnishes an abutment for a collar B of the housin against which presses a spring B which spring tends to yieldingly hold the wheel B against the wheel B so as to make a yielding friction connection between the two wheels. It will be observed that the wheel 13 is of much smaller diameter than the wheel B so that the wheel B rotates at a lower rate of speed than does the part B O is a housing located within the housing A It has an openin as at C surrounded by' and inclosed by a ange C on the wheel hub so as to prevent the entrance of dust and dirt. It contains the shaft B,.wheels, springs and associated parts. It is closed outside the casing by a cover C held in position by the screws C, and having air inlet holes C. This cover has a bearing 0 in which the outer end of the shaft B is Patented July 8, 1919.

rotatably mounted. The cover C has a pocket 0 containing the ball C against which the shaft B is thrust by the spring to make a thrust bearing. The opposed end of the shaft is mounted in a bearing C in the wall of the housing C. It carries on its end a pulley C D is a brush rotatably mounted in the suction nozzle. It is provided with a pulley D over which travels an open belt D which travels also around the pulley C so that rotation of the pulley drives the brush. The lower part of the suction chamber A is apertured as indicated in Fig. 1 and this aperture is closed by a metallic cap or plate D This metallic cap or plate is held in position by lugs D on the inner side by a spring finger D radially or diametrically opposed thereto and engaging the inner side and by a spring finger D havinga lug 7 to engage a notch D in the wall of the outside of the housing. The purpose of the opening is of course to enable the operator to get at the belt and pulley to make the necessary adjustments to put the belt on or off the pulley and also so that he may get at the speed reduction and take it down.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made both in size, shape and arran enient of parts without departing materiaIly from the spirit of my invention, and I wish therefore that my drawings be regarded'as ina sense dia-. grammatic.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows This apparatus is intended to be used for cleaning floors and floor coverings in the usual manner. The brush beats and sweeps the floor covering, and the fan causes the suction which picks up the dust and dirt.

The suction is of course strong enough to clean alone and the brush action would clean alone. When they cooperate we have a suction cleaner which is much more satisfactory than either would be alone.

The motor drives the fan and by the friction reduction gear as shown drives also the horizontal shaft parallel with the brush shaft at a lower rate of speed. This horizontal shaft carries a pulley smaller than the pulley on the brush and so the brush travels at a lower rate of speed than does the horizontal shaft. We thus have a double reduction in speed between the motor and the brush and the motor may be speeded up so as to give a better suction and the brush will still run slow enough so as to produce the desired result upon the floor covering and so as not to be unduly worn away.

The small chamber which carries the reduction or jack shaft I have termed a transmission chamber. It is mounted in and made an integral part of the whole casing. It is open, however, on the outside and closed by an outside separate closure which may be removed for the purpose of removing the jack shaft.

The bearings for the jack shaft and the whole transmission chamber are effectually kept free from dust and dirt and all clogging of the parts is prevented by the current of air drawn inwardly through the transmission chamber. This air current enters in through the aperture or perforation in the cover or cap which closes the outside opening of the transmission chamber. It passes in then along the jack shaft and finally discharges into the suction chamber or into the fan chamber through and around the bearing adjacent the driving belt and through and around the space or opening through which the conical driving wheel on the end of the fan shaft penetrates.

This arrangement has the further advantage of taking the twist out of the belt.

I claim 1. A suction cleaner comprising a casing having an inlet and outlet and intermediate laden air, in combination with a brush, a fan,

a motor, and power transmission devices connecting the motor and brush and a casing which incloses the bearings of such power transmission devices and is provided with one opening to the open air and another to the suction system.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a casing having an inlet and outlet and a brush chamber, a fan chamber and intermediate them a suction chamber, the whole comprising a suction system for the passage of dust laden air in combination with a brush, a fan, a motor and power transmission device connected to the motor and brush and a casing located within the suction chamber and inclosing the bearings of such power transmission device and provided with one opening to the open air and another to the suction system.

3. In a suction cleaner the combination of a casing with a brush, a fan and a motor con tained therein, a jack shaft, a driving shaft, a speed reducin transmitting connection between the jac shaft and the driving shaft and a separate speed reducing transmitting connection between the jack shaft and the brush and a chamber which incloses the bearings of said jack shaft and is provided with one opening to the open air and another to the casing.

4. In a suction cleaner the combination of a casing with a brush, a fan and a motor contained therein, a jack shaft substantially parallel with the brush, a driving shaft substantially at right angles to the jack shaft, a speed reducing transmitting connection between the jack shaft and the driving shaft and a separate speed reducing transmitting connection between the jack shaft and the brush and a chamber which incloses the bearings of said jack shaft and is provided with one opening to the open air and another to the casing.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 4th day of June, 1917.

HERBERT W. HOOVER.

Witnesses:

ESTA A. Sromsn, LAVIORA M. GRAY. 

